Monday Blog: Ageing well
Economics may be viewed as a dismal science but what do you make of the following biblical passage: ‘Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away’ (Psalm 90:10). Economists might sense...
Monday Blog: Things you always wanted to know about Northern Ireland public finances (Part 2)
In a previous Blog ‘ Things you always wanted to know about public finances in Northern Ireland but were afraid to ask ’ (Part 1) I outlined the main components of public spending and receipts. The arrangements for funding and how the UK Government allocates funds are complex. Three factors have...
Monday Blog: A roof over your head
A roof over your head is a fundamental human need and right. Purchasing or renting a place to live typically takes a big chunk of lifetime earnings or income. It is the biggest single cost facing most workers or households. Recent decades have seen a significant change in the way people live, work...
NERI Seminar: Devolution in the United Kingdom Post Scottish Referendum
In the aftermath of the Scottish Independence referendum, a broader discussion has begun about the future of economic governance in the United Kingdom. If further welfare and tax raising are to be devolved to Holyrood, what could this mean for the administrations in Belfast and Cardiff? What could...
NERI Seminar: Funding Models for Water Services Provision
Presentation given by Dr Tom McDonnell at the November NERI seminar. Based on a recent working paper, available here, Dr McDonnell presented findings suggesting that combining a volume based pricing structure with a system of income related water credits may best reconcile the main policy objectives...
NERI Seminar: Assessing Funding Models for Water Services Provision
The Institute hosted its November research seminar in INTO Learning Centre yesterday afternoon. Dr Tom McDonnell presented his recent working paper on funding models for water services provision. Working on the premise of water charges being introduced, the paper recommends combining a volume based...
Thoughts on funding of water services
Next week the NERI will be holding a seminar on the topical issue of water charges (detail are here). In advance of the seminar, this blog provides some thoughts on funding water services in Ireland. Access to clean and affordable water is a human right. Yet there is no such thing as free water. On...
NERI Post Budget Seminar
The October NERI seminar took place yesterday afternoon in the INTO Learning Centre. Michelle Murphy (Social Justice Ireland), Cormac Staunton (TASC) and Michael Taft (UNITE) provided on overview of the impact of the Budget 2015 with a focus on changes to system of income tax and the prospects for...
Income Taxation and Budget 2015
Judged from an income taxation perspective, Budget 2015 was reminiscent of Budgets of ten years ago, or more - maybe a worrying starting point! Cuts to income taxes dominated the announcements, and policy implementation within the Budget. This was at the cost of other priorities, including securing...
Budget 2015 Some Perspectives
External event contribution Some Prespectives on Budget 2015. A presentation to the Economics Society at UCD on Wednesday October 15th 2014.